International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

International Notes: Jokubaitis, Hall, Harper

July 23rd, 2024 at 6:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rokas Jokubaitis has a clear path to sign with Maccabi Tel Aviv now that his former team, Barcelona, has announced that it has officially parted ways with him.

Jokubaitis played for the Knicks during the Summer League and is reportedly in “advanced talks” with the Israeli team. According to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (Twitter link), Maccabi is very likely Jokubaitis’ destination.

The Lithuanian point guard spent the past three years with Barcelona, where he averaged 5.3 points and 2.8 assists per game last season.

Jokubaitis appeared in five games for New York in Las Vegas, averaging 9.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 19.1 minutes per contest.

We have more international news:

Former NBA forward Donta Hall has signed a two-year deal with Spain’s Baskonia, according to a press release from the club. The American big man most recently played for Monaco. He averaged 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 13.4 minutes over 38 games in EuroLeague action last season. Hall has made 22 NBA regular season appearances with Detroit, Brooklyn and Orlando.
Former NBA point guard Jared Harper has signed a two-year contract with Hapoel Jerusalem, according to a team press release. Harper, who went undrafted in 2019 and made a total of 16 appearances for the Suns, Knicks and Pelicans, has played for Valencia in the EuroLeague for the past two years. In 53 EuroLeague appearances, he averaged 9.3 points and 3.0 assists in 17 minutes per game.
In case you missed it, Mavericks second-round pick Melvin Ajinca will play for France’s ASVEL Basket next season.

Serbia, Greece Set 12-Man Rosters For Olympics

July 23rd, 2024 at 9:10am CST by Luke Adams

Two more nations have set their 12-man rosters for the upcoming Olympic games in Paris, with Serbia and Greece both officially announcing their squads (Twitter links).

The Serbian roster is headlined by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and includes a few more NBA players beyond the Nuggets center. Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, Hornets guard Vasilije Micic, and Heat forward Nikola Jovic will also represent Serbia in Paris.

Jovic’s inclusion is particularly notable, since there was some uncertainty earlier this month about whether he’d be healthy enough to play. He injured his ankle during an offseason workout in Miami in June, but has apparently received medical clearance for the Olympics.

Nikola Milutinov, Ognjen Dobric, Vanja Marinkovic, Marko Guduric, Filip Petrusev, Aleksa Avramovic, Dejan Davidovac, and Uros Plavsic round out Serbia’s roster. Former NBA first-round pick Aleksej Pokusevski, who finished last season with the Hornets, isn’t among the final 12.

Meanwhile, Greece has also confirmed its Olympic roster, which will be led by another former NBA MVP, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis is the only Antetokounmpo suiting up for Greece in France at this year’s event, since his brothers Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Kostas Antetokounmpo are both dealing with injuries.

While Giannis is the only active NBA player on the Greek roster, a few others have previously played in the league, including Nick Calathes, Georgios Papagiannis, and Kostas Papanikolaou. Former Stephen F. Austin standout Thomas Walkup also signed an NBA contract back in 2016, though he never appeared in a regular season game.

Dinos Mitoglou, Giannoulis Larentzakis, Vassilis Charalampopoulos, Nikos Chougkaz, Dimitris Moraitis, Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, and Vassilis Toliopoulos make up the rest of Greece’s roster.

Serbia’s first pool-play game of the Olympics will take place on Sunday vs. Team USA, while Greece’s Olympic schedule will tip off a day earlier, with a Saturday showdown vs. Canada.

Mavs Second-Rounder Melvin Ajinca Signs With ASVEL

July 23rd, 2024 at 8:11am CST by Luke Adams

Melvin Ajinca, who was selected with the No. 51 overall pick in last month’s draft, won’t be immediately joining the Mavericks. The 6’8″ forward has signed a one-year contract with ASVEL Basket, according to an announcement from the French team.

A native of France, Ajinca has spent the last several years playing in his home country, including the past two seasons with Saint-Quentin. The club played in LNB Pro B (France’s second-tier league) in 2022/23, then earned a promotion to LNB Elite (the top league in the country) for the ’23/24 season.

In 28 games for Saint-Quentin last season, Ajinca averaged 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per contest. The 20-year-old struggled to score efficiently, however, making just 37.5% of his shot attempts from the floor, including 30.9% of his three-pointers. That trend continued this month at the Las Vegas Summer League, where he made just 13-of-44 (29.5%) shot attempts across five games for the Mavs and went 5-of-25 (20.0%) from beyond the arc.

Dallas traded up during the second round of last month’s draft in order to nab Ajinca. The Mavs sent the No. 58 pick and $1MM in cash – along with the draft rights to Petteri Koponen – to the Knicks in exchange for the No. 51 pick, which they used on Ajinca.

There was never likely to be room on the Mavs’ 15-man roster for Ajinca though. Dallas currently has 13 players on guaranteed contracts, with Spencer Dinwiddie set to sign a one-year deal and Markieff Morris widely expected to return to fill out the roster.

Ajinca looked like a possible two-way candidate, but now that he’ll remain overseas for at least one more season, the Mavs will have the flexibility to fill that third two-way slot with another player. Alex Fudge and Brandon Williams are currently on two-way contracts with the club, leaving one opening.

Barcelona Interested In Signing Chimezie Metu

July 22nd, 2024 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Barcelona has expressed interest in veteran center/power forward Chimezie Metu, according to Alessadro Maggi of Sportando.

Metu became an unrestricted free agent last month when the Pistons declined his $2.65MM option for next season. There are only a handful of open roster spots around the league, so the 27-year-old big man may have to consider playing overseas.

Metu signed with the Suns last summer and appeared in 37 games before being sent to Memphis as part of a three-team deal at the trade deadline. The Grizzlies waived him a day later, and he eventually landed in Detroit, first on a 10-day contract and then on a standard deal.

He put up the best numbers of his career during his brief stay with the Pistons, averaging 10.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 steals in 14 games while playing 29.4 minutes per night. He made seven starts and had shooting splits of .500/.302/.952.

Metu was selected by San Antonio with the 49th pick in the 2018 draft and spent two seasons with the Spurs before signing with Sacramento in 2020.

Rokas Jokubaitis In “Advanced Talks” With Maccabi Tel Aviv

July 22nd, 2024 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Rokas Jokubaitis, who played for the Knicks during Summer League, is in “advanced talks” with Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando.

The Lithuanian point guard has spent the past three years with Barcelona, where he averaged 5.3 points and 2.8 assists per game last season. Barcelona recently declined to exercise an option on his contract, making him a free agent.

Jokubaitis appeared in five games for New York in Las Vegas, averaging 9.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 19.1 minutes per night. He shot 57.1% from the field, 50% from three-point range and 71.4% from the foul line as the Knicks posted a 3-2 Summer League record.

The 23-year-old was selected by Oklahoma City with the 34th pick in 2021 and was traded to New York on draft night. The Knicks will retain his NBA draft rights no matter where he plays this season.

Jokubaitis is also a member of the Lithuanian national team, which lost to Puerto Rico in the finals of a pre-Olympic qualifier earlier this month.

If he signs with Maccabi Tel Aviv, Jokubaitis will join former NBA guard Jordan Loyd, who played 12 games for Toronto during the 2018/19 season. According to Maggi, the team is also hoping to sign Daryl Macon, who had brief NBA stops with Dallas and Miami.

Ricky Rubio Reportedly Signing With Spain’s Joventut Badalona

July 21st, 2024 at 6:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Longtime NBA guard Ricky Rubio is reportedly signing with Spanish club Joventut Badalona, Eurohooops.net relays.

According to Jordi Valle Simo of EFE Deportes, Rubio is returning to the team where he began his professional career in 2005. He spent his first four saysons in Badalona.

After agreeing to a buyout with the Cavaliers and retiring from the NBA in January, Rubio signed with Barcelona in February on a one-year contract. After his Spanish team lost to Real Madrid in the Liga ACB semifinals, he expressed uncertainty about his basketball future.

“These months, I’ve felt strange; I’ve wanted to change some things,” Rubio said. “Coming in the middle of the season is not easy, my way of being, more reserved and not feeling 100%. I don’t think I’ve been everything I expected, but I didn’t have any expectations either, but it’s clear that the balance is not good.”

By rejoining Joventut Badalona, Rubio will continue playing in the ACB League. Last season, he made 13 EuroLeague appearances and averaged 17 minutes on the court, posting 4.7 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game. He also played 15 Liga Endesa games for Barcelona, averaging 6.0 PPG, 4.1 APG, and 3.1 RPG.

Olympics Notes: Kerr, LeBron, Hayes-Davis, K. Antetokounmpo

July 21st, 2024 at 4:04pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

As Team USA gears up to try to earn its fifth consecutive gold medal at the Olympics, head coach Steve Kerr has been impressed by the efforts of 39-year-old Lakers All-Star forward LeBron James, both during practices and exhibition games, writes Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops.

“I’m blown away by his effort, concentration, and focus every single drill,” Kerr said. “He talks, and even in a shootaround, he walks through his voice behind the play, yelling out the scheme. His leadership by example. The guy is incredible. I’ve known that forever, but to see it out close, it’s pretty special.”

James is participating in his fourth Olympic games with Team USA, but his first since 2012. After settling for bronze in 2004, Team USA re-tooled, and James won gold in 2008 and ’12 with more team-oriented rosters.

There’s more from the Olympics:

Former NBA forward Nigel Hayes-Davis has been suiting up for the USA Select Team, playing alongside Team USA ahead of the Paris Olympics this week. The 6’8″ Fenerbahce swingman discussed his tenure with the Select Team, per Cesare Milantiigel of Eurohoops. “My agent Kevin Bradbury told me something about the USA thing. It was during the season, so I really didn’t pay attention to it. I had other things I was focusing on,” Hayes-Davis said. “I didn’t know what my duties and roles would be. But it’s a tremendous opportunity and it surpasses even what I imagined it would be. I apologize for being long with it, but this is something you couldn’t pay money to be a part of as a basketball player.”
Former Mavericks and Lakers forward Kostas Antetokounmpo is waiting on a medical green light with regard to whether or not he can suit up for Olympic competition for the Greek national team, according to Eurohoops. The program will make a final determination on Monday.
After almost falling to South Sudan in a Saturday pre-Olympics warm-up game, Team USA can now better appreciate just how formidable some of its foes may be this summer.

Olympics Notes: Team USA’s Near Upset, Ivey, South Sudan, Embiid

July 20th, 2024 at 10:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

It was only an exhibition game, but South Sudan had an opportunity to pull off the greatest upset in international basketball history Saturday in London, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Team USA needed a driving layup by LeBron James with eight seconds remaining and a crucial defensive stop to escape with a 101-100 victory.

It marked the first real taste of adversity for a U.S. team that’s heavily favored to win the gold medal in France. South Sudan built its lead as high as 16 points as the Americans’ offense looked badly out of sync for most of the first half.

“I did not do a great job preparing our team, I think we did not focus enough on what they’re capable of and that’s on me,” head coach Steve Kerr said.“They played a wonderful game and the ending was good for us just to feel that. To feel what it’s going to be like in Paris and Lille. … A good reminder that when we play against teams, it’s the biggest game of their lives and we have to expect everyone to play like that.”

Kerr shook things up by using a completely different lineup to start the second half. That sparked a comeback that featured a 23-5 run covering the late third and early fourth quarters, but South Sudan still grabbed a late lead on a three-pointer by JT Thor that set up James’ heroics.

“I think the whole team was embarrassed at halftime to be totally outplayed and down 14,” Kerr said. “And I don’t think [James] was real thrilled about me not starting him in the third quarter. But I thought that next group that we put out there really did a good job defensively. And I looked down a couple of times and I can see LeBron chomping at the bit to be out on the floor as soon as he got out there and he went to work, so he was brilliant.”

There’s more Olympics news to pass along:

Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, who serves as head coach for South Sudan, believes the experience will help his team in the Olympics even though it didn’t quite get the victory, Windhorst adds. In addition to Thor, South Sudan was led by 2022/23 G League Player of the Year Carlik Jones, who posted a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, and Marial Shayok, a second-round pick by the Sixers in 2019, who had 24 points. “We want to take the momentum, the mindset, the tenaciousness that we had [to the Olympics],” Ivey said. “We didn’t flinch.”
South Sudan is already a remarkable story by reaching the Olympics in only its 13th year as a nation, notes Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle. Former NBA star Luol Deng, who serves as president of the country’s basketball federation, personally funded the program and picked Ivey to serve as head coach in 2021. The Bright Stars qualified for the Olympics with their performance in last year’s FIBA World Cup.
In an episode of The Interview podcast, Joel Embiid explained that his decision to join Team USA was influenced by pressure from France (hat tip to HoopsHype). “It didn’t help that, you know, France that put an ultimatum on, you know, when the decision had to be made,” Embiid said.

International Notes: Hayes-Davis, Winston, Gill, Hommes

July 20th, 2024 at 4:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Suns All-NBA combo forward Kevin Durant, who is in London with Team USA ahead of the Paris Olympics, believes USA Select Team forward Nigel Hayes-Davis, currently playing for EuroLeague club Fenerbahce, is good enough to be an NBA player, according to Cesare Milantiurant of Eurohoops.

“I think he has the talent to be in the NBA,” Durant said. “He’s been showing that so far, he’s showed that in college, and playing in the EuroLeague. Hopefully, he gets this opportunity, but he just loves to play regardless and he will play and work on his game until he can no more. Hopefully, he’s in the league soon.”

A Wisconsin alum, Hayes-Davis has appeared in nine total NBA games, all during the 2017/18 season, for the Lakers, Raptors, and Kings. The 6’8″ wing boasts averages of 3.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists in those games.

Here’s more from around the basketball world at large:

Former Wizards point guard Cassius Winston has inked a new deal with Italian pro club Pallacanestro Reggiana, reports Alessandro Maggi of Sportando. The 6’1″ vet appeared in 29 games with Washington from 2020-22, averaging 1.9 points and 0.7 assists in 4.7 minutes per contest.
Despite earning interest from multiple European clubs including Barcelona and Anadolu Efes, Wizards backup power forward Anthony Gill is not considering a return to play there, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. In 2023/24, Gill appeared in 50 contests for Washington, starting three. He averaged 3.8 points and 1.9 boards per night.
Former two-way Pelicans combo forward Daulton Hommes, who never played an NBA game for New Orleans, is departing Dolomiti Energia Trentino to link up with an as-yet unnamed EuroLeague team, per Dario Skerletic of Sportando.

Isaiah Roby Signs With German Team

July 19th, 2024 at 8:32am CST by Rory Maher

After playing four seasons in the NBA from 2019-2023, Isaiah Roby spent the 2023/24 campaign in the G League trying to earn another NBA deal. Now, he’s heading overseas for the first time in his professional career, having signed a contract with Ratiopharm Ulm, the German club announced in a press release (hat tip to Sportando).

“We are convinced that Isaiah will have a very big impact on our team this season on and off the court,” said head coach Ty Harrelson. “We were looking for a player with his experience. After meeting him on the sidelines of the NBA Summer League, it was clear that he would fit our idea of the new team.”

A 6’8″ power forward who has also been used as a small-ball center, Roby was the No. 45 overall pick of the 2019 draft. He technically spent four-plus months of his rookie campaign as a member of the Mavericks, who traded him to the Thunder in January 2020.

Roby played parts of three seasons with Oklahoma City, appearing in 109 games, including 62 starts (21.9 minutes per contest). He was released in July 2022 and claimed off waivers by the Spurs, spending most of the 2022/23 campaign with San Antonio.

The Spurs cut Roby loose in March of last year. On the last day of the ’22/23 regular season he signed a multiyear deal with the Knicks, who waived Roby’s non-guaranteed contract in October. He re-signed with the Knicks a few days later on an Exhibit 10 contract before being cut again to ensure he’d receive a bonus for playing for their G League affiliate in Westchester.

Roby, 26, averaged 13.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks on .457/.375/.633 shooting in 26 total games last season for Westchester (27.2 minutes). Overall, he holds career NBA averages of 7.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists on .485/.351/.675 shooting in 151 games (18.9 minutes).

Ratiopharm Ulm competes in Germany’s top basketball division, having finished fifth (out of 18 teams) last season. Ulm won the BBL for the first time in ’22/23.